Emmarts United Methodist Church Served As A Safe Haven For Slaves Along The Underground Railroad

 

A little church in Windsor Mill, Maryland, is gaining attention for powerful artifacts of Black history found within its walls.  

On Feb. 3, CBS News affiliate WJZ went inside Emmarts United Methodist Church, a quaint building that served as a safe house for enslaved people fighting for freedom along the Underground Railroad in the 1800s. Community members of Emmarts, offered more insight about the fascinating history behind the church. Founded in the late 1800s by Caleb Emmarts, the church served as a safe haven and place of refuge for enslaved people making their way from the South to freedom in the North.

Emmarts’ unique history.

Church members say the complex operation was spearheaded by Nicolas Smith, the brother-in-law of the Church’s co-owner, Gerard Emmarts, who was a member of the Emmarts building committee in 1855. Smith hid runaway slaves in barrels and carried them to safety across the Pennsylvania line, helping them to freedom.

“There was a case in the basement that had a lot of history, and then there was a large crate that had additional history, a lot of the history that we found and organized it,” Christine Hughes, a devout member of Emmarts, who is fighting to preserve the church’s history, told WJZ. 

Old building records show that before the church was rebuilt in the early 1900s, there was a balcony or gallery where enslaved individuals not only worshiped but also sought refuge on their journey to freedom. From there, Underground Railroad conductors like Smith and members of the Emmarts family helped transport enslaved people to safety, often moving them from one safe house to another. One of the methods used to conceal the escapees was placing them in large barrels, such as 36-gallon and 52-gallon hogshead barrels, which were rolled along the road today known as Rolling Road—on their way to freedom, according to Linda Dorsey-Walker, a historian from Baltimore County. They made stops at the Emmarts-Pierpont Safe House and other secure locations throughout Baltimore County.

It’s unclear whether Smith was ever an owner of the Emmarts property, but the Baltimore-Washington Conference highlighted that the church and Emmarts-Pierpont Safe House, located nearby, were owned by Caleb Emmarts, a key figure in the church’s history. In a remarkable act of resistance, Caleb also played a crucial role as a stationmaster on the Underground Railroad, secretly sheltering runaway slaves in the gallery of the Emmarts church. Despite being arrested multiple times by Confederate soldiers passing through Maryland, Caleb was never convicted of harboring runaways. According to the Baltimore-Washington Conference, no neighbor would testify against him, preserving his safety and his commitment to the cause of freedom.

 

A walk to freedom.

On Feb. 1, nearly 200 community members participated in a commemorative walk to Emmarts to honor the enslaved individuals who risked their lives for freedom along the Underground Railroad. In addition, church members have curated a permanent exhibit showcasing some of the artifacts discovered inside the church, allowing visitors to engage with the history firsthand. Church members hope to preserve and safeguard the unique Black history of Emmarts for future generations.

“I want them to understand the sacrifices that were made for people you know where you are now,” Bella Owens, an organizer behind the Emmarts United Methodist Church Commemorative Walk, told WJZ.

Pastor Isaiah Redd Sr., Emmarts’ head preacher added, “We want to make sure that this building is still standing for those even when I’m gone as pastor. We need the people of this community to embrace us as a historic element of the culture of this community.”

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